Some of the best cyclists in the world were left for dead in the Olympic men’s road race.

Ryder Hesjedal was among them.

Hesjedal, winner of the Giro d’Italia earlier this summer, came to London hoping to make amends after crashing out of the Tour de France, but a long and punishing road race destroyed the peloton, felled mighty Britain, and took Hesjedal down as well — though not physically this time.

In his third Olympics and second as a road rider, the Victoria native finished 63rd, in the middle of a pack assigned the same time of 5 hours, 46 minutes and 37 seconds.

What would an exactor of Vinokourov and Rigoberto Uran Uran pay at the track? Handsomely, for sure. Vinokourov, an established pro from Kazakhstan but hardly a pre-race favourite, stunned a massive British crowd with his golden finish ahead of Colombia’s Uran Uran, after the pair slipped away from a strong lead group of about 32 riders late in the 250-kilometre race. (First a concert with Duran Duran at Hyde Park on Friday night, then silver for Uran Uran the next day. Weird).

Vinokourov took the sprint easily. Norway’s Alexander Kristoff won bronze.

Afterward, Hesjedal sat on his bike in the mixed zone, his face a blend of sweat and dirt following the marathon march through the streets of London.

“It was fun to be out there, but I just missed out at the end,” he said. “It was kind of hard to read what was going on.”

Hesjedal really didn’t get involved with any of the early breakaways, counting on the peloton to close the gap.

“GB [Britain] was riding so strong and it seemed they were in control the whole time,” he said. “You’d see guys attack and not really go anywhere.”

The work by the peloton, led by the Brits and Germans for most of the race, came at a cost. Over the final 30 kilometres, a group of about 30 riders got away while the pack fairly disintegrated. Britain’s dream of a gold medal for decorated sprinter Mark Cavendish was gone.

“Une Dream Team, quatre etoiles” read a race-day headline in L’Equipe, describing the heavily favoured Brits, who were led by Cavendish and Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins. All four of their stars faltered, though for not lack of trying.

“I was hoping [the peloton] would bring that group back and attacks would start later,” Hesjedal said. Unfortunately, especially for Britain, the peloton was out of gas after setting a blistering pace.

“It’s not like a video game — you don’t just push a button and say I want to go in the front more,” Hesjedal said. “You’re out there pedalling for almost six hours. You have to have a plan and stick to it.”

Hesjedal’s plan was to race conservatively and save it for the end if a situation presented itself. As it turned out, he needed to be in that group of 30 riders — a dangerous group that worked together — ultimately producing a winner. It didn’t help that Hesjedal was a one-man team, coming off two weeks of rest and recovery from his Tour crash. Not that he offered that as an excuse.

“It didn’t feel like a dream day, where you’re just floating, can’t feel your legs, and can just do whatever you want, but I think I was at a good level. It just came down to tactics and trying to survive out there by yourself.”

The race lasted nearly six hours, and spectators only saw the riders every 45 minutes or so on the nine-loop tour around Box Hill, but a massive gallery about a million strong revelled in the fleeting road show. Screaming fans were packed 20 and 30 deep in places, especially on the Box Hill climb, a ticketed section of the course.

“I overheard someone call it the ‘largest stadium in the world,’” said Canadian men’s coach Gord Fraser. “I would agree with that, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

A crowd that large and noisy can change a rider’s cues, according to Fraser.

“This race is so different, guys can get away, camouflaged by how many people there are,” Fraser said. “There’s sensory overload.”

Taylor Phinney of the United States, who finished fourth, called the atmosphere “insanely loud” and said the raucous fans inspired him during a long ride in the U.K. sun.

There were a couple of bad crashes, including a head-on collision between former world champ Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland and a course barrier. Although he finished the race, Cancellara could not keep his limp right arm on the handlebars after the crash with about 20 kilometres to go.

Hesjedal has one more event, Wednesday’s individual time trial.

“It’s great to be here and represent Canada ... I’m happy,” Hesjedal said. “You always want more, but just to be out there and experience the day was incredible.”